Sights, sounds and smells from Bangalore

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

2 corporators here, but problems remain

2 corporators here, but problems remainOne Of The Oldest Areas Of The City Craves For DevelopmentSunitha Rao R | TNN

Bangalore: Two corporators. Two months up. Multiple problems with no solutions in sight. Austin Town in Viveknagar, one of the posh localities in the city, does not enjoy the luxuries of its immediate neighbour Koramangala and is crying for some attention from the corporators. For people who visit Infant Jesus Church, driving further on the same lane is not just tiresome, but a shocking revelation too as they wonder ‘Is it Bangalore?!’ Austin Town is one among the older areas of the city craving for development. Unclean roads, filthy open drainage, vanishing footpaths, uncovered storm water drain would define Austin Town better than the landmarks. And the corporators excuse: Staff shortage. According to Syed Fasi, a shopkeeper on Anepalya Masjid Road, irregular garbage collection is the main reason for the sad state of affairs. “Firstly, the pourakarmikas don’t come regularly to collect garbage. When they don’t turn up, the residents throw the garbage on the road. Complaints have been given to the BBMP control room several times, but in vain,” he said. Naturally, with so much garbage around and filthy surroundings, can epidemics be far behind? The area saw outbreak of dengue. Naturally, with so much garbage around and filthy surroundings, can epidemics be far behind? The area saw outbreak of dengue. CORPORATOR SPEAK Bills cleared without signature The contractor who is entrusted with garbage clearance work has been doing shabby work. Not just that. Many bills are cleared without the signature of BBMP health officials. The contractor needs to be changed. Delay in BBMP budget preparation has been a hurdle for developmental works here. R Shivkumar | SHANTALANAGAR CORPORATOR CONTACT POINT Are you a resident of Austin Town? Do you face the same problems or other issues in your area? Better still, have a solution to these problems discussed? JUST CONTACT YOUR CORPORATORS Vijay N (Vannarpet): 9343743297 Shivkumar A N (Shantalanagar): 9845055477 LET US KNOW Is the corporator of your ward yet to get down to brass tacks? Is he yet to contact Residents Welfare Associations and get grievances redressed? After featuring some proactive corporators in these columns, we will now look for those corporators who haven’t done any visible work. If civic work is piling up in your surroundings, let us know. PROBLEM & SOLUTION Both the corporators are unhappy with the existing garbage contractors. Only collective efforts of the duo can give a facelift to these areas. Will they act? Vijay N | VANNARPET CORPORATOR What’s the problem here? The skeleton staff of pourakarmikas. This is the main reason for the pathetic state of my ward. The main contractor entrusted with garbage clearance has further given the work to subcontractors. It’s totally been shabby What is the way out? We want three lorries and 110 pourakarmikas for regular garbage collection here. But the contractor has provided only one lorry and a manpower of 64. What have you done about it? I have brought it to the notice of the BBMP commissioner, but the contractor has not been changed. Is this the only problem here? No. The stormwater drain that runs across Austin Town was fenced six months ago. It needs to be fenced again. People have also polluted it by throwing garbage into it. To avoid this, I have plans to make a road over storm water drains. WHAT PEOPLE SAY? There is not much change here. We live just behind the BDA complex. But, even for the smallest issues, we need to go behind local officers repeatedly. Even before the corporators came in, we managed solving some problems ourselves. — Suryanarayana Mallya | AUSTIN TOWN FLAT ALLOTTEES’ ASSOCIATION PROBLEM AREAS Small pocket divided into two wards Inadequate number of pourakarmikas Bills cleared without signature Irregular maintenance of storm water drains Unclean roads polluted by desilted mud from drains Poor civic sense among public

It seems the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s decision to concretise pavements is just another way of sending public money down the drain. At several places, such pavements are being dug up again, either to repair pipelines or to clear clogged drains that run beneath them. LEAKAGE LOCATION An example is the newly-laid pavement at KHB Colony in Koramangala 5th Block which has been dug up at several points in a bid to locate the leakage of a BWSSB pipeline that runs below it. Water has been flowing from the pipe for over a month with no one bothering to repair it. President of Koramangala Residents Forum, Dr Umeshwara, said, “When the city is facing acute water shortage, we cannot sit and watch this atrocity. I had complained to the officials many times, but they don’t seem to care. A pipeline under the cement pavement must have cracked while digging it up for some maintenance work. But that has not been rectified since then.” HASSLED PEDESTRIANS For the past one year, this road has seen all kinds of pavements - stone slabs, tiles, interlocking cement slabs and now a concrete one. Several times, the residents’ forum has urged the BBMP officials not to keep changing the pavement as the frequent works add to the hassles of the pedestrians. “I realised the problem when they began to dig up the tiled footpath. I called up the engineer and complained to the BBMP many a times requesting them not to change the pavements so often. But they do not listen to us,” said Umeshwara. BWSSB site inspector Revanna Kumar said, “These pavements are pathetic. They make it difficult to locate the cause of the water leakage. The BBMP concretised the pavement despite our requests not to do so. This isn’t the first time this has happened.” A similar incident took place in Jayanagar recently. A drainage chamber under the pavement was broken near Harishchandra Ghat leaving the entire area stinking. The list of such complaints goes on. While in some cases people complain that the authorities responded very late, in others they were not taking any action at all.

Bidari’s double standards

Bidari’s double standardsThe police commissioner said ‘no’ to 2 am deadlines for star hotels. But illegal live bands are flourishing and they go well beyond the official 11.30 pm deadlineM K ASHOKA

Just a fortnight ago, Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari and Home Minister V S Acharya shot down a proposal from Excise Minister Renukacharya on extending the deadline for serving alcohol at star hotels in the city beyond 11.30 pm to 2 am. The excise minister’s intention was to rev up the city’s night life and make it more tourist friendly. Bidari and Acharya, on their part, cited law and order problems. Strange then that live bands, which are illegal in Bangalore, are thriving and they go far beyond the 11.30 pm deadline. On Sunday, Bangalore Mirror decided to do a reality check. Acting on a tip-off, we went to Coastal Pavilion Bar off 80 Feet Road in Koramangala. Going by the signboard outside, the place is a ‘family restaurant and pub’. Inside it’s a different story. On the first floor there is a restaurant but on the second floor, we found a live band. About 20 skimpily clad girls were gyrating to Bollywood numbers even as the fairly sozzled customers showered them with currency notes. We pretended to be customers and were welcomed by the doorman with a knowing handshake. We soon got into the spirit of things and brandished a few big denomination notes. This had many of the girls orbiting our table. Some of the middle-aged men on the other tables weren’t amused. They raised the bid, so to speak, and soon the tempo really picked up. Money was changing hands from customers to girls and so too scraps of paper, presumably the phone numbers of these men. There was a considerable number of young men too. We tried chatting up a few and they said they frequented live bands across the city on weekends. “In Majestic, around Brigade Road, J C Road, Town Hall, Outer Ring Road, there are numerous live bands. In Ashoknagar there are about 11 live bands, more than 40 in Majestic area and if we go to the outskirts of the city, there are lots of them,” one youngster told us. A waiter confirmed this. “All this talk of 11.30 pm closing time is humbug,” he added. DCP (South East) B N S Reddy said he was unaware of any live bands functioning in the city but thanked Bangalore Mirror for bringing it to his attention. “I have no mercy for inspectors who allow live bands to function in their jurisdiction. It’s a shame. I will call Assistant Commissioner of Police Guled S Y and I will stop the live band in Koramangala from operating,” he said.

AUTO FARES GO UP NEXTWEEK

The minimum auto fare is likely to go up from Rs 14 to Rs 18 next week. Fares have not been revised for almost five years, despite increases in fuel costs. Bangalore has 86,490 autos and 1.5 lakh auto drivers. Auto unions have submitted a memorandum to the transport and district administration, seeking a revision. B S Narayana Murthy, President of the BJP Auto Unit, told Bangalore Mirror, “We have submitted memorandums to Deputy Commissioner Aiyappa and other officials.” Other unions have joined in. M Manjunath, President of Adarsha Auto and Taxi Drivers Union, said, “Though BMTC and KSRTC have hiked their fares several times in the last five years, our demand was always ignored. Prices of fuel, oil and spares have all gone up.” CONFIRMATION Bangalore Urban deputy commissioner M K Aiyappa confirmed receiving the memorandums. AUTO FACTS Current fare: Rs 14 (min for 2 km), Rs 7 per subsequent km. New fare (likely): Rs 18 (min for 2 km), Rs 8-9 per subsequent km Petrol costs Rs 58.09 a litre.Autos with two-stroke engines give a mileage of 25 km a litre, while those with four-stroke engines give 30 km LPG costs Rs 40 a kg, and autos using it get 5 km more over petrol “Their demand is justified. I have appointed a committee to look into the demand,” he told Bangalore Mirror. The district authorities use an app to fix fares. “If we key in fuel and other costs, the program provides us with the new fare,” he said. Sources in the transport department told Bangalore Mirror that the new minimum fare could be Rs 17 or Rs 18, and Rs 8 for every subsequent km, a senior official said. HIKE SCEPTICS Some auto drivers are against the hike because they fear the hike may keep away passengers.

People'S PARK Sprouting up

People'S PARK Sprouting up

It shows the way as they have a say in everything including design

Bosky Khanna

Fruits of hard work are always sweeter. One such is the park at Koramangala 3rd Block. After years of battle, local residents were able to win back an acre of land for the park. Now they are developing it the way they want it with the help of civic agencies. The park work started just eight months ago. So don't be surprised by the sight of lantana bushes and barren patches. For greenery to fill the space, you have to further wait. But residents are sure that with a budget of Rs1 crore, the place will be turned into an ecological park after six months. So far, the stoned pathways have been constructed and benches put up for citizens to relax. To green the place, about 140 native tree species will be planted along with aromatic and herbal plants. For this, guidelines are being sought from noted environmentalist AN Yellappa Reddy. Rohit Marolli, a resident working with Terra Firma, is helping with the park's design. A children's play area is being created at the centre of the park. Besides this, the park has a reading room for senior citizens and a rain water harvesting plant.Muralidhar Rao, a member of Praja Bangalore, seems to be a little upset over the stoned pathway. He prefers grassy paving. But he admits that the stoned pathway helps senior citizens to walk around easily without getting their feet and shoes dirty. Such pathways are common in most city parks like in Indiranagar, ST Bed and other parks of Koramanagala. Park planners should also be concerned about children's well-being. Kids should be given an opportunity to play in the grass and climb on trees. Hence there should be more natural grass and trees and less lawn. The land where the park stands now was a playground spread across survey numbers 39 to 41. Survey number 39, where the park is located, was allotted to various institutions in the early 1990s. But residents began to make enquiries and found that the site was allotted for civic amenity. Despite their finding, concrete boards were erected and the land was allotted for construction. When the residents approached the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), they found that it was allotted for a playground according to BDA Act 1976 following the comprehensive development plan (CDP) 1984. The residents then approached the court. After six years of battle, the allotment for playground was cancelled. In 2002, the court ordered survey number 39 to be developed into a park. In 2005, the BDA handed over the site to the BBMP for creating a lung space. Air Vice-Marshal (retd) Suresh G Heble, a resident, who played a key role in the battle for the park, says a lobby did its best to set up a cricket academy across survey numbers 39 to 41. But its efforts were foiled with the help of MLA Ramalinga Reddy. So, of the three acres spread through the three survey numbers, an acre was reserved for the park, another acre was fenced and maintained as a playground while the rest was lost due to encroachments.Heble is a proud resident now as the park he fought for is slowly being developed the way the residents want it. The Residents' Welfare Association of Koramangala 3rd Block is coordinating with the BBMP and the horticulture department in this.What residents are doing is commendable, but they can do better, says Rao. It is nice to learn that citizens are involved in developing the park and they have a say in its growth, he adds.Speaking to DNA, Koramangala corporator BN Kokila Radhakrishna says involving residents in the development of the park is a novel method which should be followed by other city parks. "We will develop more parks in this manner. At present, we are awaiting funds from the government and the BBMP. The plan is ready. Special attention is being paid to the park in 3rd Block as this is the only such facility in the area and senior citizens are demanding a lung space here," says she.They have also plans to develop Wipro Park, Swabhimana Park and Lakshmidevi Park.

Greenery is fading out but all hope is not lost

Greenery is fading out but all hope is not lost

WANITHA ASHOK

"Lucky me." That's the first thing that comes to my mind when we talk about the parks in Bangalore. I live in South Bangalore known for its lovely parks. But the Rose Garden stands amid a concrete jungle. Gone are the days when it resembled a Ghat section. I still remember the little girl admiring the lush parks while driving past them. That was 30 years ago. Years later, I moved to Bangalore and was still fortunate to see the parks in their pristine glory. Every time, I chose a different park as each one was unique in its own way regarding layout, terrain and trees. Those days, south Bangalore used to be a huge lung space.Things changed and turned for the worse with the start of Metro work. Many trees were felled and parks were temporarily converted into work areas. Now even the parks look like concrete jungles. Where are the park benches gone? It's a pity that GenNext can't fell the experience we had while visiting city parks years ago.But all is not lost. We still have some lush parks intact thanks to some users who fiercely protect them. The Banashankari Park near the BDA complex is one such. It's very popular. People come here to walk, jog, sit and chat. In the play area, parents happily watch as their children frolic in the green. The equipment installed in the area keeps the children amused. I love this park. The pathway is so made that one can walk easily and fast. There are shelter areas for visitors when it rains. A musical fountain, a small pond, and good lighting make a visit to the park memorable. The park draws senior citizens who closely monitor the activities of the park. They see to it that no one is misusing the park or littering or walking on the well-maintained lawns. This public involvement is important for all public parks.When it comes to maintenance of parks, the civic agencies concerned should provide funds. An alarming factor one notices at parks is encroachment. One has to be vigilant against it and report the matter to the authorities. Parks are precious lung spaces for our relaxation and recreation.

Greenery is fading out but all hope is not lost

Greenery is fading out but all hope is not lost

WANITHA ASHOK

"Lucky me." That's the first thing that comes to my mind when we talk about the parks in Bangalore. I live in South Bangalore known for its lovely parks. But the Rose Garden stands amid a concrete jungle. Gone are the days when it resembled a Ghat section. I still remember the little girl admiring the lush parks while driving past them. That was 30 years ago. Years later, I moved to Bangalore and was still fortunate to see the parks in their pristine glory. Every time, I chose a different park as each one was unique in its own way regarding layout, terrain and trees. Those days, south Bangalore used to be a huge lung space.Things changed and turned for the worse with the start of Metro work. Many trees were felled and parks were temporarily converted into work areas. Now even the parks look like concrete jungles. Where are the park benches gone? It's a pity that GenNext can't fell the experience we had while visiting city parks years ago.But all is not lost. We still have some lush parks intact thanks to some users who fiercely protect them. The Banashankari Park near the BDA complex is one such. It's very popular. People come here to walk, jog, sit and chat. In the play area, parents happily watch as their children frolic in the green. The equipment installed in the area keeps the children amused. I love this park. The pathway is so made that one can walk easily and fast. There are shelter areas for visitors when it rains. A musical fountain, a small pond, and good lighting make a visit to the park memorable. The park draws senior citizens who closely monitor the activities of the park. They see to it that no one is misusing the park or littering or walking on the well-maintained lawns. This public involvement is important for all public parks.When it comes to maintenance of parks, the civic agencies concerned should provide funds. An alarming factor one notices at parks is encroachment. One has to be vigilant against it and report the matter to the authorities. Parks are precious lung spaces for our relaxation and recreation.

War memorial must stick to law

War memorial must stick to law

SC gives the state govt one month time to file its response to the petition challenging construction

Rakesh Bhatnagar

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Karnataka government on a petition challenging the construction of the National Military Memorial at the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain park in the heart of the city. The government would have to file its reply in a month.The Memorial, to be located within the park in close proximity to the Raj Bhavan, would spread over a 6.22-acre plot. The current market value of land is at least Rs500 crore.The state government claims that the structure would be a memorial to nearly 1,500 war heroes from the state who sacrificed their lives for the country. It also claims that the proposed structure would be constructed underground, and thus not destroy foliage.A bench of justices RM Lodha and AK Patnaik refused to order status quo in the case, but pointed out that any construction ought to be "in conformity with statutory requirements".The Krishna Apartment Owners' Welfare Association filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against an order of the Karnataka high court, which gave its approval to the project on Friday last. The appeal stated that the state government had proceeded with the construction in violation of the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, which does not allow building, construction or change in use of land in government parks; the petitioners said that this very Act was invoked by the state government.The lawyer for Karnataka, L Nageshwar Rao, said that there would be no transfer of land in this case, as the land would remain with the state government; besides, there was no violation of the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975.

War memorial: SC refuses stay

War memorial: SC refuses stayS.S. NEGIDC | NEW DELHI

Article Rank

The Supreme June 28: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to stay the Karnataka government’s initiative to build a memorial in the name of 1971 Bangladesh war heroes inside the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park in Bengaluru but agreed to examine the matter and issued notice to the state.Some resident welfare associations of the colonies surrounding the park mov

ed the Supreme Court challenging the state’s decision to earmark six acres of land in the 17-acre park for building an underground “war memorial” to be maintained by a trust under the chairmanship of the CM. The petitioners alleged the memorial was a “brain-child” of MP Rajiv Chandrashekhar.The vacation bench issued a notice to the state government asking it to submit an affidavit with details within four weeks.

four weeks. The Supreme Court on Monday declined to stay the Karnataka government’s initiative to build a memorial for the 1971 Bangladesh war heroes at the Indira Gandhi Musical Foundation Park in Bengaluru but agreed to examine the matter and issued notice to the state.Some resident welfare associations of colonies surrounding the park had moved the apex court challenging the state government’s decision to earmark nearly six acres of land in the 17-acre park for building an underground ‘war memorial.’ The memorial was to be maintained by a trust chaired by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa with high ranking officers from the Army as its members.

The petitioners alleged that the memorial was in fact a ‘brain child’ of MP, Rajiv Chandrashekhar and was ‘condoned and supported’ by the Chief Minister. Led by Krishna Apartment Owners Welfare Association

(KAOWA), the petitioners sought a stay on the entire process, including construction activity.However, a vacation bench of Justices R.M. Lodha and A.K. Patnaik, while refusing to grant an interim stay, issued notices to the government asking it to submit an affidavit with full details of

the project within four weeks.The KAOWA and other petitioners, who moved the apex court after the Karnataka High Court rejected their plea, cited provisions of the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975 while seeking judicial intervention. Their counsel argued that under the Act, the land of any protected park could not be alienated, mortgaged or leased, nor could a licence be given to build any structure, even by government departments.

the memorial, which would only cover 10,000 sq feet, would be an underground construction and would not change the surface landscape. “In 2008, a committee was set under the chairmanship of the CM with Army officers as members to look into the war memorial issue and ensure that the land is not alienated,” Mr Rao said, adding the park would continue to be maintained by the state’s horticulture department.After hearing the arguments, the judges said the court would examine the matter on the basis of “simple questions, like whether the construction of the memorial building is permissible under the law and whether it permissible without change in land use. For this, the court needed a detailed reply from the state government, the bench observed.

The petitioners alleged that “any construction in the park would directly harm the interests of the public and residents in particular as it acts as lungs for the city.”

A dream habitat in Koramangala

A dream habitat in Koramangala

Express Features First Published : 28 Jun 2010 05:05:14 AM ISTLast Updated : 28 Jun 2010 09:13:49 AM ISTKoramangala is one of the largest mixed-use areas in Karnataka. The well-planned locality has intelligent buildings demonstrating how chrome, glass and green leaves can seamlessly blend between modern edifices and serene flora. It’s is a highly valued residential locality with its wide boulevards and posh bungalows. A large number of restaurants, relatively upscale houses, apartment complexes and a number of Indian and multi-national software companies distinguish Koramangala from other parts of the city.The residents of Koramangala are from various parts of country and include the old, the young and the vibrant IT crowd. “The USP of this locality is the cosmopolitan crowd, which means varied needs and more business opportunities,” says Shrinivas, who runs a departmental store in sector 3.The locality is divided into eight blocks with the 3rd and 7th blocks more commercial than the others. The locality is also home to educational institutions such as the St John’s Medical College, Jyothi Nivas College, Vemana Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Astrophysics and others.Koramangala also boasts one of the city’s biggest shopping malls The Forum, and Raheja Arcade. It hosts luxury apartment complexes such as Prestige Acropolis, Raheja Residency and the National Games Housing Complex.The stock exchange, leading banks, software centres and government offices are also within easy reach. Software companies such as Infosys, Wipro, NDS, Siemens VDO, Microland, Zenith Software, Rational Software Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd., Tally Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Tricon Infotech Pvt. Ltd, Robert Bosch, Collabera Solutions, Mindtree, Lucent Technologies, Interra Systems, Tavant Technologies, and Ciber have their offices here.Till the 1970s, one would pass the village of Adugodi on the Hosur Road and then usually bypass Koramangala, which was on the left, while going to the industrial suburbs of Bommanhalli or Bommasandra. It was only towards the late ’70s that more houses were constructed. The landmark Manton’s factory has given way to the posh Raheja Arcade, while the road to Bommanhalli and Bommasandra houses Electronic City, home to many hi-tech firms.The former Koramangala tank was drained and the National Games Village apartment complex was built instead.

SC wants state to explain war memorial

SC wants state to explain war memorial

Rakesh Bhatnagar. New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Monday gave Bangaloreans, who are opposing the construction of the National Military Memorial (NMM) at the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park, a reason to cheer.The apex court issued notice to the Karnataka government on a petition challenging the setting up of the NMM at the park. The state government has to file its reply within a month.A bench of Justices RM Lodha and AK Patnaik refused to order status quo but pointed out: "No doubt you (the state government) are doing a great job, but it has to be in conformity with the statutory requirements."Appealing against the high court's approval to the project last Friday, Krishna Apartment Owners' Welfare Association, the petitioners, said the BJP-ruled state government lacked powers under the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, to permit any building, construction or change in use of land in government parks.

HC stays BMRCL land acquisition

HC stays BMRCL land acquisitionBangalore:June 28, DHNS:

The Karnataka High Court on Monday stayed the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) land acquisition process for the Namma Metro project on Vanivilas Road, following a petition challenging the acquisition.

Hearing a petition by Malini Sriram, a resident of Vanivilas Road, Justice Rammohan Reddy has directed BMRCL to submit an alternative proposal. The court has observed that, BMRCL should look out for the alternatives instead of bifurcating the petitioner’s property.

The petitioner had contended that, 13,800 square feet of the property was acquired by the BMRCL and final notification was issued in this regard on April 17,2008.In total, the BMRCL had acquired 711 square metres of land for completion of Metro project on Vanivilas Road. BMRCL had acquired more land than it actually needed for the project, the petitioner argued.

The petitioner also submitted that there was disparity in the allocation of compensation as her neighbour had received Rs 48,800 per square meter as compensation, while she had received a compensation of Rs 8,000 per square meter.Justice Reddy has also sought details regarding the requirement of land and the compensation allocated for the acquisition.DH News Service

Auto fares to go up in July

Auto fares to go up in JulyBangalore, dhns:

Commuters may well be prepared to pay more for minimum auto fares in July.

Bangalore Urban Deputy Commissioner M K Aiyappa told Deccan Herald here on Monday, that he has held discussions with the autorickshaw union leaders, who sought a fare hike from the present Rs 14 minimum to Rs 20.

“Auto unions and drivers have sought hike in minimum fares and also per km fare of Rs 7 to Rs 10. We have appointed a special committee with DCP (traffic) to look into the issue. We will come out with a final decision next week. Factors such as Auto-LPG price increase during last one year, inflation index, cost of auto spare parts etc will be considered before a final decision is taken” said Aiyappa.

Land acquisition for Rail Link to begin in August

Land acquisition for Rail Link to begin in AugustPraveen Dhaneshkar, June 28,Bangalore:

Land take over for the ambitious High Speed Rail Link (HSRL) project to connect the City centre to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) will begin in a month from now.

Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) will issue the preliminary notification in this regard, thereby kickstarting the Rs 6,000 plus crore project.

Sources in the KIADB said, the Bangalore Airport Rail Link Limited (BARL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of the government has given its nod to begin the process.

“The total land to be acquired will be 65.96 hectare. We have identified the properties that would have to part with a small portion of their land. Notable among them are the Bangalore Golf Club, All India Radio and the Visvesvaraya Towers. We have asked the government to first deposit a compensation amount of Rs 104 crore to KIADB, before we take up the land acquisition process forward,” said a source at KIADB.

However, the actual land acquisition process will take at least four to six months to be completed, as the KIADB will have to first await a compensation package report from the BARL.

Sources in BARL said they would adopt the same procedure followed in the land acquisition process of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). “This would have a fair market rate value, based on land prices prevailing along the alignment route,” said a top BARL source.

Once the land notification is approved by the government, at least 1,676 square meters of Golf Course on Sankey Road would have to be acquired. This would include land that runs along the old High Grounds police station route. But, construction of the project will begin only in Jan 2011, as BARL is currently in the process of evaluating the technical bid document or RFQ (Request for Proposal). Five consortia have been shortlisted to execute the project. They are: Reliance Infrastructure Limited and CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Co Ltd, L & T Transco Limited, ITD-ITD Cem Joint Venture (Italian – Thai Development Public Co Ltd & ITD Cementation India Limited), Pioneer Infratech Pvt. Ltd & Siemens Project Ventures, Gmbh and Lanco Infratech Ltd & OHL Concesiones SL.

Golf Club not aware of planWhen Deccan Herald sought response from officials at the Bangalore Golf Club, they said they are not aware of any land acquisition process. “Let us receive an official notification from the government agency concerned asking us for land. Then we will respond. The BGC elections were held recently, members have just taken over. Any decision of parting with BGC land is not decided by a single person or authority,” said a BGC official.

As per the Detailed Project Report, the suggested route starts from Police Parade Ground and traverses via Cubbon Road, Chowdaiah Road and finally terminates at the airport terminal building. It will have an elevated double track, one for each direction of travel. It will have a City Airport Terminal (CAT) at the Police Parade Ground with two intermediate stations each - at Hebbal and Yelahanka. Check-in facilities will also be provided at CAT and Hebbal stations. The total rail length is about 34 kilometres. It is expected to cover the entire distance in less than 25 minutes.DH News Service

BBMP’s beautification drive threatens eco park

An eco park, full of rare and precious varieties of herbs, trees and healing plants, in south Bangalore is under threat from BBMP's beautification drive.

Dr M L Lalitha of the Lakshmivenkantaswamy Temple Trust in Padmanabhanagar, Ward No 182, who is on a crusade to "save" the park from BBMP's move to fence, pave, light and beautify it, says “Whoever has heard of designer lights, imported tiles and metal fencing in an eco park? Why ruin a natural environment, which has been offering quiet relief to people with all kinds of respiratory problems in an otherwise polluted city, with attempts at beautification?" she asks.

For 30 years now, the trust has been maintaining the eco park, which has earned appreciation from environmentalists like A N Yellappa Reddy (See Box).Once a hillock, the park now houses a temple, bamboo thickets, groves of 'bilva' and 'kadamba' trees, scores of medicinal and herbal plants - and weeds. The park has largely been left to the temple trustees to manage. And led by Lalitha, the trustees were happy to leave things to nature. At the park, fallen leaves turned into manure through composting; soil erosion was prevented by bamboo thickets that ring the park; and boulders were the natural fencing.

But over the last few weeks, this has begun to change. The boulders on the outer edge have been replaced with metal and wire fencing; the stone slabs are making way for tiles, and lights have been installed.Lalitha fears that trees like the champaka, the palash, the saptha parini and the shwetha ashwatha with their documented medicinal properties could "fall prey to thoughtless beautification".

Surprisingly, her fears are rubbished - not by the BBMP whose ward office is bang opposite the eco park- but by a group of silver-haired men, members of a senior citizens' club at the very same park, who insist that "beautification" will help them "pass time in a better way" in the park."This is the only park in Padmanabhanagar for us to visit. We want it protected, fenced and maintained," they argue.

"We will be able to walk around if there are tiles as the stone pathway is undulating and the natural gradient of the park is steep," says K Basavaraj, who retired from NGEF and has made the park his evening haunt for the last 3 years. But L Srinivas, the area corporator, is determined to see the beautification project through.

"People have come to my doorstep, requesting me to give them a nice park. I have to listen to them. Poor Lalithamma has also worked hard planting all those trees that are supposedly good for health. What to do? I cannot disappoint the people. I have got funds released for beautification. I have spent Rs 15 lakh on fencing. I will be spending another Rs 5 lakh on paving. I will go by what the majority wants. Like other parks in Bangalore, BBMP will maintain this park, keep it clean and lock the gates at certain time," he says.DH News Service

Lights will hit birds, animals" Installing lights in an eco park destroys the habitats of nocturnal creatures. Bangalore has lost all over 200 villages and 200 tree groves or 'gundu thopu's - natural biodiversity sites in these villages. We cannot afford to lose more such precious sites," says A N Yellapa Reddy, former secretary to the government, Department of Forests & Environment.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Auto drivers for fare hike

Auto drivers for fare hikeDecision In First Week Of JulyTIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: With auto drivers’ unions pushing for hike in auto fares, a decision in this regard is likely to be taken in the first week of July. Two trade unions and four auto drivers’ associations met the deputy commissioner (urban district) on Saturday seeking increase in minimum fare as well as fare per km after the minimum. “We have been demanding hike in auto fare for the past 10 days. All the auto drivers’ unions in the city met the deputy commissioner (Bangalore urban district) on Saturday. We have urged them to increase the fare from Rs 7 per km to Rs 10 per km,” said M Manjunath, president, Adarsh Auto and Taxi Drivers’ Union. Alluding that there was no hike in fares for the past three years, he said that the cost of vehicle, tyre, insurance, maintenance and other costs had increased. The price of rice and vegetables have also shot up. “Auto drivers need a minimum wage of Rs 300 for their livelihood. But we are getting only Rs 150,” he said. He added that the deputy commissioner is likely to take a decision on June 30 and announce it on July 1. H Nareshgowda, president, Akshaya Auto Drivers’ Housing Cooperative Society, said the increasing cost of living has forced them to demand for a hike. “We are confident that there will be a hike in auto fares by next month,” he said. Bangalore Urban district deputy commissioner M K Aiyappa confirmed that he had met the auto drivers’ union on Saturday. “They have sought an increase in auto fares from minimum Rs 14 to Rs 20. The committee under the chairmanship of DCP (traffic) is studying the issue. Once they submit the report, it will be discussed with the consumer organization. I will take a decision in first week of July,” Aiyappa said. There are at least 80,000 autos in Bangalore alone.

Infra projects choking trees to death

With no access to water and space for roots, trees are falling like flies in Bangalore

Even as the widening of roads and the metro are eroding the City’s arboreal wealth, trees are keeling over without the chain saws slaughtering them, with the infrastructure projects virtually choking them to death.

With concrete slabs covering the pavements, wider roads encroaching on the uncovered setback area running alongside the roads, there is no space for trees to absorb rain water, weakening roots and leading to tree fall even during mild rain storms. According to BBMP statistics, tree fall over the past three years has increased by over 68 per cent. Nearly 1,100 trees and branches have been lost in the past six months due to nature’s wrath. Environmentalist M Sunil Kumar attributes the tree falls in its entirety across the City to the relentless digging of roads and footpaths by civic agencies. During digging the roots of the trees are cut, rendering the base unstable.

Part of the tree fall, he said, were due to bad pruning practices of civic authorities. Due to the imbalance in the crown of the tree and more weight on one side, the trees are pushed to the edge, causing them to fall during winds accompanying heavy rains.

Increase in high risesOrnithologist M B Krishna believes that the increasing number of high rises in the City have also contributed to the tree fall in the City. “The large number of high rises that have come up in the City hamper air flows closer to ground level, leading to wind turbulence that uproot trees,” Krishna said.Dr Nandini, Professor and Head of the Department for Environment Sciences at Bangalore University agrees.

She says the depleting tree cover coupled with the inconsistent rain in the City is leading to soil erosion and washing away the top of soil which in turn will weaken the trees to be planted.

Admitting that the massive infrastructure projects in the City is hampering the growth of trees in the City, Palike officials in BBMP Environment department are nonetheless optimistic about increasing the tree cover in the City.

Innovative ways“We are looking at many innovative ways to increase the tree cover in the City. Currently, the Engineering division has started providing us with percolation points around trees where concrete footpaths have been built, while in other areas where the job has already been completed we are drilling holes to open the soil,” says BBMP Conservator of Forests, N L Shanthakumar. DH News Service

Infotainment en route to BIA

Infotainment en route to BIAAKANKSHA MEHROTRADC | BENGALURU

Article Rank

LCD TOUCH SCREENS TO BE PUT UP ON ALL VAYU VAJRA BUSES

The long drive to The long drive to and from the Bengaluru International Airport will soon get all the more entertaining.The government is making good its promise to provide individual entertainment systems to passengers of BMTC’s Vayu Vajra buses. Soon, touch screen panels will be fitted in all airport buses, providing real time information to commuters.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, CTO of EAFT Technologies, Giri Prathivadi said: “We have taken up the project of installing LCD touch screen panels in all airport

buses by next month. As this is a pilot project, we will work in coordination with the BMTC and transport authorities. This facility will be provided free of cost to BMTC."Commuters will soon be able to utilise the time spent on travel to access real time information. They can also watch music programmes, surf the Internet and get updates on the arrival and departure of flights at the airport. Stock market, hotel bookings and internet facilities will be other facilities available. All this will be available at no extra cost.

“Commuters will not have to pay for using the entertainment facility and there will be no increase in the bus fares. We might extend the service to our premium services plying in the city after witnessing the response from the commuters,” said project director of the BMTC, Padam Kumar Garg.

The company officials added that the service will most likely be extended to the KSRTC premium fleet in future. “First, BIA buses would get the technology and later it could be extended to other luxuries and airconditioned buses owned by the government,” Mr Prathivadi said.

Bus Rapid Transit proposal gathers dust

Apathy by the various stakeholders has put on the backburner a feasible and cost-effective urban transport project, the ambitious Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) plan proposed on a pilot basis from Hebbal to Central Silk Board (30 km).

The proposal had envisaged construction of BRT at a cost of Rs 15 crore/km. The pilot corridor requires movement of high-speed, low-floor buses on signal free corridors that are physically separated from other road lanes, to be effective.First mooted a decade ago, the BRT also found mention in the Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Project (CTTP) that had mooted implementation of the corridor across a length of 291.50 km on 14 corridors, at an approximate cost of Rs 3,498 crore in two phases.

Not feasible“The project was first proposed way back in 2000 for implementation from Jayanagar to Shivajinagar. But, in those days, the rolling stock (buses) required for a BRT were not being manufactured in the country and had to be imported from Volvo in Sweden. Import duty being sky-high then, the project funding was not feasible and did not take shape,” says P K Garg, Director (Projects), BMTC.

Garg says the State-run Corporation is always ready to supply buses for its implementation, provided Bangalore Development Authority is also keen to have the exclusive corridor in place for it (BRT) to take off. The preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was entrusted with Rail India Technical and Economic Society (RITES) and Infrastructure Development Corporation (Karnataka) Limited or iDECK, with the former responsible for preparing the technical content and the latter, the financing plan. RITES submitted the final DPR to BDA in December 2009, after which the DPR was approved, early 2010.

Delegation not keenA source in BDA said the BRT proposal was presented to Indo-Japanese working group delegation in New Delhi last week, for possible implementation on a public-private-partnership (PPP) basis.

“The delegation was not keen to take up the BRT proposal, but instead expressed interest in the PRR (Peripheral Ring Road) proposal. The plan could even now see the light of the day, if the cost factor is resolved. BDA by itself cannot implement and bear the entire project funding. The pilot project would cost Rs 550 crore for a distance of 30 km. If financial concurrence is decided upon, BDA is ready to have the BRT revived. We are hoping to have global tenders called for in July, to have it implemented,” said the source.DH News Service

The unsung heroes of Tech City

PROFESSIONAL HAZARD:This is what a pourakarmika's workplace looks like every day.BANGALORE: Consider this: the pourakarmika who sweeps your street does not turn up for four days. The garbage piles up and you find yourself holding your nose every time you step out, dodging all sorts of unmentionables strewn in your path.

Despite the crucial role they play in keeping Tech City going, no one seems to be giving these waste managers the importance they deserve even though the recent strike by a section of pourakarmikas hit Bangalore's waste collection process.

Somehow, they remain “invisible” to the public's eyes and their work appears to be grossly undervalued throughout the State. This is substantiated by the conditions they work in — without the basic safety gear in what is considered a hazardous profession.

Sometimes fatal

The painful saga of “men at work” manifested itself when corporation employees Srikantan died of suffocation while cleaning an overflowing manhole in Sadashivanagar, while Venkatesh died while he was cleaning a clogged manhole on Dickenson Road.

In 2008, two pourakarmikas — 38-year-old Kariya and 40-year-old Lakshmanna — died of asphyxiation after inhaling poisonous carbon monoxide and methane when they entered a manhole to clean it in K.R. Nagar in Mysore. They did not follow the basic precaution of airing the manhole for at least two hours after opening it to allow the poisonous gases to escape.

This is not a one-off incident. Far too many pourakarmikas work in the most appalling conditions. The sight of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike workers standing on heaps of garbage in trucks that carry it to the dumping grounds on the outskirts of the city also raises a stink.

These workers are prone to a number of health problems, including communicable diseases such as gastrointestinal disorders, diarrhoea, skin diseases, jaundice, trachoma and eosinophilia apart from work-related injuries on coming into contact with contaminants and sharp objects such as needles and metal and wood pieces. In addition, they are routinely exposed to dangerous elements such as lead from batteries as well as animal waste.

What the law says

The law is clearly on their side. The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act 1993 mandates that a safai karamchari should be provided with gloves, face masks and soap.

The Karnataka Municipality Corporation Act of 1980 also stipulates that pourakarmikas are provided uniforms, aprons, protective footwear as well as regular health check-ups.

The workers are also entitled to restrooms, urinals, first aid and washing facilities under the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1970 and this holds good as nearly 19,000 pourakarmikas are working on contract.

“Their children are also entitled to crèches. But these workers bring their children along, thus exposing them to the same dangers,” says S. Balan, General Council Member, All India Trade Union Congress.

Penchalamma, a pourakarmika, says she has access to health check-ups, but safety gear is something alien to her. “I collect garbage from at least 50 houses every day, but I have never used gloves,” she says.

What authorities say

Hira Nayak, Joint Commissioner (East), Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, says the civic body had given the option to pourakarmikas of either accepting the safety gear from the civic body or accepting the money to buy it.

“Most of them preferred to take money,” Mr. Hira Nayak said.

On the other hand, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), which is in charge of manholes, still faces a shortage of jetting machines which would eradicate the need for manual cleaning.

Indiranagar 100 Foot Road now open to traffic

BANGALORE: Motorists and residents of Indiranagar in the city can now heave a sigh of relief.

After an ordeal of nearly two years, the Indiranagar 100 Foot Road is now back in shape with the completion of the Metro Rail work at the junction between CMH Road-100 Foot Road Junction and Old Madras Road.

Following the completion of the work, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited has asphalted the 300-metre stretch.

With this, the traffic police on Sunday permitted two-way movement on the entire stretch of Indiranagar 100 Foot Road.

The traffic police were busy laying barricades to avoid criss-crossing of vehicles between CMH Road–100 Foot Road Junction and Old Madras Road.

CMH Road

Vehicles are yet to be allowed on CMH Road. Metro Rail work is still in progress at a distance of about 200 metres away from Indiranagar 100 Foot Road-CMH Road Junction.

About 200 metres of CMH Road has been asphalted on either side.

The road leading to CMH Road from Adarsha cinema continues to be in a bad shape.

Two-way

The traffic police have allowed two-way movement on the stretch between 515 Army Base Workshop and Trinity Circle.

The police are waiting for the completion of work between Ulsoor Police Station and 515 Army Base Workshop to extend two-way movement of vehicles.

“We are studying the possibility of having two-way movement between Adarsha cinema and Trinity Circle,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) Praveen Sood.

Rain tree gets a raw deal from BBMP

Long cherished for being a part of the City’s green canopy, the rain tree (Samanea samans) is on the verge of losing its roots in Bangalore.

Long cherished for being a part of the City’s green canopy, the rain tree (Samanea samans) is on the verge of losing its roots in Bangalore. As if their periodic felling for road-widening projects wasn’t enough, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has completely taken out the rain tree from its list of tree species selected for an afforestation programme.

Five lakh saplings are to be planted under the BBMP’s ambitious initiative. The Palike has shortlisted eight species of trees, all of which with a crown less than that of the rain tree. Species such as rosea, tabobia, avalan, techoma, alsenia, mahgony and pongamia will now adorn the roadsides.

The BBMP move has angered tree lovers in the City. “It is a tragedy that such a beautiful tree with a huge canopy is not on the list. Already, we are losing many shade-giving trees,” rued Sunil Kumar M, an environmentalist.

M B Krishna, a City-based ornithologist, explained that the rain tree was an interesting species, the leaves of which periodically closed to allow the ground heat to escape. Its large canopy and fast growth helped to lower the surrounding temperature. “It had its effect on the City’s climate with its wide canopy. That umbrella will go now,” he said. With its wide cover and shade, the rain tree also protected the Bangalore’s avian flock, especially raptors like owls, which will now be rendered homeless.

Corruption and Ignorance

The BBMP had allowed thousands of rain trees to be felled in recent times to widen roads and reduce traffic woes. But according to retired High Court judge, Justice M F Saldanha, who has a special affection for rain trees, timber value of the trees was probably the reason for the mindless felling of rain trees. “We need expert suggestions, which is not happening at the BBMP level. Those who make decisions are neither trained in forestry nor guided by experts,” he said.

But BBMP officials and senior environmentalist, Dr A N Yelappa Reddy, said the decision to do away with rain trees was justified.

“This decision is based on recommendations made in 2003. With the City facing a space problem, we cannot afford these trees with huge crowns,” he said.

Urban conditions, he explained, required trees with small crowns that did not block roads when uprooted. “Frequent digging of roads for laying cables will weaken the trees, leading to their uprooting. It is not eco-friendly,” he said. He said the decision to leave out the rain tree was not taken in haste, and a lot of study had gone into it.

But cannot the tree be grown in parks or mini-forest patches? Reddy said this, too, would not be possible, as the tree’s huge canopy did not allow any undergrowth.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

High Speed Rail will cut thru Golf Course

High Speed Rail will cut thru Golf CourseSenthalir S |TNN

Bangalore: With the process for land notification for the High Speed Rail Link (HSRL) picking up pace, a portion of the Golf Course has been marked to pave way for the project. The Golf Course had earlier lost some of its land for road widening. HSRL promises to provide swift connectivity between the heart of the city and Bengaluru International Airport. Once the land notification is approved, at least 1,676 square metres of Golf Course land will be taken away for the HSRL project. Besides, a portion of Visvesvaraya Towers (242 sq m), Jayamahal Palace, All India Radio (828 sq m) and IAF land in Hebbal has also been identified for acquisition. “A total of 199 properties have been identified for acquisition. The file has been sent to the government for approval. Once we get the nod, the land will be notified,” a senior official with the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) said. KIADB has asked the government to deposit a sum of Rs 104 crore, another official said. “Once the government deposits the amount, we will notify the land to be acquired. It has been two weeks since KIADB moved the file.” V Madhu, principal secretary, infrastructure department, said: “The total land acquired will be 65.96 hectares. The land to be acquired will be notified within a month.” The controversy over the IAF land has been resolved. Five companies have been shortlisted to execute the work: Pioneer Infratech Pvt Ltd and Siemens Project Ventures; Lanco Infratech Ltd and OHL Concesiones SL; L&T Transco Ltd; Reliance Infrastructure Ltd and XDR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Co Ltd; and ITD-ITD Cem-SOMA Enterprises joint venture. THE ROUTE Cubbon Road, Raj Bhavan Road, Chowdaiah Road, Windsor Manor bridge, Bellary Road, Mehkri Circle, Hebbal flyover (where elevated HSRL crosses over on the right side) JOURNEY TIME 25 minutes from Cubbon Road; 18 minutes from Hebbal flyover ESTIMATED COST Rs 6,900 crore

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Bangalore bears the brunt of fuel price hike, as always

Bangalore bears the brunt of fuel price hike, as always

The fear of Bangaloreans came true by Friday midnight as the BMTC increased passenger fares

S Shwetha

The common man in Bangalore has again received a cruel blow after the central government announced a steep rise in the prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene and cooking gas.Bangalore will be the worst hit among metropolitan cities by this price hike." We are very much upset. Whenever there is a fuel hike, Bangalore is the worst hit since the state tax is comparatively higher here than in other states. Also, the VAT is not bound. The maximum tax is levied on petrol and diesel with surcharge and entry tax of 5%. On the contrary, at the Centre, the excise duty remains constant. This has always made the fuel rates more expensive in our state," said Bhushan Narang, president of the Karnataka Federation of Petrol Dealers' Association. "We had approached the chief minister many times to look into the tax issue. But nothing has happened till now. Until the government reduces the state tax, Bangaloreans will have to pay more than people in other cities, he said.The central government announced on Friday that petrol and diesel will cost up to Rs 3.50 per litre more, diesel will be dearer by Rs2 per litre, households will have to pay an additional Rs35 per cooking gas cylinder and poor man's cooking medium kerosene will be costlier by Rs3 a litre.But in Bangalore, the price of petrol will rise by Rs4 per litre. Price of diesel will move up by Rs2.25 per litre. However, cooking gas will be dearer in the state by Rs35 just like in other states. These prices came into effect from Friday midnight across the city.Some students DNA interviewed slammed the price hike. "Our families are already suffering because of increase in the prices of food stuff and other essential commodities. With the latest hike in fuel prices, the prices will soar further. How will our parents run the family? As students, we have to travel a lot and a hike in bus and auto fares will be the worst blow," said Prashanth Hegde, a student of RV Engineering College.Women employees were equally upset."With this fuel price hike, cabs, autos and buses will increase their fares. Then how can middle-class and lower middle-class people survive in this city? The common man will be driven to the wall for survival," said Shailaja Srinivas, a private employee.

Panchatantras for the city of Bangalore

DNA asks urban planning experts to write about their vision for Bangalore, on the occasion of the 500th birth anniversary of Kempe Gowda, the founder of the city

Prof Sathya Prakash Varanashi

Even as I started typing this essay, I thought I should not be writing this piece. What follows is possibly known, spoken and written about for ages and, today, I continue to echo similar sentiments.May be history is repeating, unfortunately only in repeating ideas, but I am doing so hoping the authorities concerned would take note and act upon them. We, including the people in the government, blame the system for all our shortcomings, while, honestly speaking, we should be blaming ourselves.If the idea of the earth is a complex creation by nature, the idea of a city is an equally complex creation by humans. The common mistake we do is in believing that a city can be managed and governed by anyone, without professionalism, skilled manpower, expert advice and such others. By saying so, I do not intend to demean the employability of government staff, their passion for city or their will power for change. Much good has happened to Bangalore during the last decade, which is laudable. Most people in power have knowledge and awareness, but helplessly let the short-sighted system take over. If people in power act powerless, Bangalore has no hope.From the urban design and heritage perspective, I have short-listed five ideas:n Implement 74th constitutional amendment to decentralise governance, give power to people, check on corruption, organise public hearings, ensure all committees have non-political members and engage varied subject experts behind every urban intervention. Bangalore has noticeable number of urban experts with worldwide exposure, whose ideas could be tapped if they are involved right from ward committees to the proposed metropolitan planning body. Inter alia, some priorities may get set and between a flyover or power generation unit, we may do the latter.n Revive Urban Arts Commission with regulatory powers towards city aesthetics, heritage bye-laws, streetscapes, historic precincts, traditional ambience, appropriate built forms and respect for the holding capacity of each locality. Preserving the city's beauty cannot be preached at today's land prices and increasing cost of building maintenance. All such public suggestions, if only accompanied with incentives, can be implemented.n Cut down on vehicle-based road-widening and urban renewal, where road-widening has no real end. Mumbai's Fort area and Kolkata's Park Street area have huge vehicular congestion. Central London and New York have similar stories to tell. The wide road of today is bound to become a narrow road tomorrow at the present rate of vehicle sales. We let car manufacturers make money, while the mental agony, social displacement and property loss for inhabitants cannot be justified. If we understand the city mechanism, the self-regulatory powers of a city can be re-instated. n Discourage city land becoming an investment for returns, where people seem to be buying sites just to keep it vacant. Bangalore sites have often ensured more returns than what gold and shares have managed. No urban idea can survive against such monetary gains. City expands at huge cost of providing roads, phones, buses, water and other services, while site owners enjoy huge return of investment. Owners of vacant sites should be made to pay for expanding city, so taxpayer's money can be utilised for developmental works. n Introduce implementation monitoring systems where unemployed youth can earn from the penalties charged for violations. If posters deface city walls, we decide to spend money to paint them. Alternately, violators could have been fined to collect funds for the administration. Bangalore has become a city of in-migrants, who do not even pay the actual cost of services and infrastructure. We all pay subsidised price for water, power and mostly for everything public, which never happens in private sector. Let the private attitudes and public concerns come together in governing Bangalore. We, then, would have taken one more step towards a better Bangalore.(The writer is founder trustee, Institute of Urban Designers India; convenor, INTACH-Bangalore; former founder trustee, CIVIC Bangalore; and a consultant)

No water? Harvest rains

No water? Harvest rainsBWSSB serves notice on the owner of a 30x40 site asking him to install rain water harvesting system after he refused to bribe one of its officialsAPARNA R AND SUREKHA C BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU

Raising your voice against water woes could land you in trouble! That is precisely what has happened to businessman Subash Chandra. He has been slapped with a notice directing him to install a rain water harvesting (RWH) system at his house though it is not mandatory for buildings constructed on a 30x40 plot. A resident of Ganesha Block 4th Cross in R T Nagar, Chandra terms it “an act of vengeance by the local BWSSB employees for his refusal to pay them bribe and for complaining to their higher-ups about the water problems in the area.” “The government has made it clear that RWH systems are mandatory only for sites measuring above 40x60 dimensions and new constructions. We have constructed our house in 1980 and it is on a 30x40 plot. The local BWSSB men came to our house recently and ascertained the dimension of our house. Yet a notice was sent to us stating that we should install a RWH system,” Chandra told Bangalore Mirror. None of Chandra’s neighbours, who have also constructed houses on 30x40 plots, have received such notices. “They have singled us out and are trying to harass us,” said Chandra. Chandra suspects it to be the handiwork of the BWSSB official who records the readings of the water meters in the area as he refused to pay him the ‘extra money. “He took details from me regarding site measurement. He first asked me to change a running meter and demanded money, when I refused he has started this new trick,” he said. What angered Chandra more was the second notice sent by the BWSSB last week. “I wonder how the assistant engineer (BWSSB) R T Nagar signed this notice sent to me despite my land records clearly stating that it is a 30x40 site. Is he an illiterate?” Chandra asked. Chandra had also complained against the short supply of water to individual houses. “The local linemen supplies water to the apartments on a daily-basis and to individual houses on alternate days. I have complained to the BWWSB several times and they suggest us to opt for RWH,” Chandra said, adding that he suspected the role of contractor lobby in pushing for RWH systems. Referring to a Bangalore Mirror report that highlighted that even the Mayor’s house did not have RWH, Chandra asked: “When the Mayor himself has not installed an RWH system, why are they tormenting ordinary citizens like us?” Chandra has shot a mail to BWSSB chairman explaining how he was being targeted on the pretext of installing the RWH system. He has also suggested the BWSSB to first crackdown against illegal water connections and plug leakages in pipes before forcing citizens to spend money on RWH. A BWSSB official, however, maintained that they will look into the issue. WHY IS THE BWSSB IN A HURRY? The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage (Amendment Act), which came into effect on August 27, 2009, says: “Within nine months from the commencement of the Act every owner or occupier of a building with a sital area of 2,400 sq ft or above and every owner who propose to construct a building on a sital area of 1,200 sq ft and above shall provide for rain water harvesting structure, failing which the Board may cause such rain water havesting structure and recover the cost from the owner or occupier as the case may be, as arrears of land revenue.” With the nine-month deadline completing last month and many huge properties in the city yet to install RWH, the BWSSB is left with little option than to slap notices to force property owners to act.

City’s first eco park in danger

City’s first eco park in dangerPoliticians and BBMP officials are out to destroy a garden with over 102 medicinal plant species that a doctor took 30 years to developDEEPTHI M R

Greedy politicians are eyeing Bangalore’s first eco park, developed selflessly by a doctor. Dr Lalithamma toiled for 30 years to convert a hillock, till then used as a dump yard, into an eco park. Over 102 medicinal plant species thrive in the park, which offers forest-like lushness in the midst of Padmanabhanagar’s concrete jungle. That picture could change, as politicians have drawn up plans to turn it into a “hi-tech park”! With her ‘baby’ all set to lose its sheen, Dr Lalithamma (formerly of Nimhans) is making desperate attempts to ensure that the bulldozers do not roll in. “I know this land does not belong to me or my family, and I am not interested in staking any claim over it. But we have nurtured over 600 medicinal plants and a daily walk here helps prevent diseases and boost immunity. Let us not disturb it,” she said. Incidentally, this is the only planned eco park in the city; much before the concept of eco parks began to catch on after the 2005 Oaxaca Declaration on Biodiversity in France. But about two months ago, area corporator Srinivas approached Lalithamma asking her for a no-objection letter to convert the eco-park into a hitech park. “He came with some BBMP officials and asked me if I had any problem with development of the park. I told them if they were going to develop it on the lines of an eco park, I had no problems,” Lalithamma said. Lalithamma had made a fivefoot compound wall with stones and a barbed wire fencing. “We had done this to prevent people from sitting on it and roadside food vendors from spilling their left-overs here. Within a week of visiting me, officials bulldozed all that and started putting up some fancy fencing,” she said. Not only have BBMP officials built a new compound wall, they have also destroyed over 50 plants which used be on the circumference of the park. “They were all growing plants and I used to water them once in two days. Jasmine, tulsi, palash, neem, teak, custard apple, vinka rosea (used for diabetes), ixora (used for skin allergies) were all chopped mercilessly,” she said. BBMP officials plan to chop fully grown plants and instal fancy lights and fencing. “The eco park may not have swanky looks. But it can give as much oxygen as 20 regular parks. Now they plan to chop off fully grown trees and plant flowering shrubs in their place.” Lalithamma said. “This space was barren, but a temple was already there on the hillock. My family gave funds to develop the temple and I took the initiative to develop the park. It is not my land, but I adopted it to develop it,” Lalithamma explained. RENAMED HILLOCK The hillock has been earmarked for development of a park. Lalithamma took permission from the then corporator and adopted it.”It was called Devara Gudda and we renamed it Srigiri. The place was filled with thorny plants and weeds. We planted all the other plants here,” she said. The plants release aromas and provide a healing effect for neurological and respiratory problems. “The micro hairs under leaves of plants trap toxins and release clean air for people to breathe. Can these fancy shrubs do that? Show me one such park in the city,” she said. To develop the eco park, Lalithamma has spent all her salary and savings. “Thirty years ago, when I earned enough, we ordered 3,000 lorries of red soil to develop this park. The result is there for you to see,” she said. She earns just enough to pay the workers at the park and the priest of the temple. “I get a pension of Rs 20,000. I have some savings. I don’t have a house of my own or a car. I live for this park,” she said and smiled. ‘CITIZENS TO BLAME’ When contacted, the BBMP maintained they are developing the park at the behest of local residents. “Many of the residents wanted it to be a hi-tech park with tiled pavements and designer lighting, we are just working it,” an official said. But Dr Lalithamma counters: “Why should taxpayers’ money be wasted on a park that is naturally grown and meticulously planned?” GONE, GONE, GONE Over 1,200 feet of Tinospora Cordifolia or Amrutha balli, was chopped off while the fence of the eco-park was being demolished.This creeper is said to be good for those with cardiac problems and diabetes. During the swine flu scare last year, many people ate the leaves of this creeper to keep the flu away. It is known to have medicinal qualities which can cure common flu and fever.

BBMP’s monsoon plan a damp squib

Bangalore: The monsoon set in over 20 days ago, but the BBMP is still revising its monsoon contingency plan for 2010. The updated report is expected to be out next week. In August 2008, residents of Sai Gardens Apartment near Seegehalli limits had to hire boats to move around in their area, and even vacate their homes when it rained heavily. This year too,they have their fingers crossed. Each time it starts raining, they are on alert, located as they are in the tank-bed region of Elemallapa lake in Avalahalli. In fact, the building is perched on the banks of a nullah that leads to Varthur Kodi. The nullah is getting narrower, but no action has been taken by the Seegehalli village panchayat or the BBMP. FLASH FLOOD POINTS In the city, some areas are perennial flood points, like Ejipura and Puttenahalli. They may have seen some change, but nothing has changed in many other vulnerable points within the BBMP’s limits — like Shivajinagar beef market area or the huge open storm water drain at HAL II Stage. Even as BBMP officials at all levels assure a 50% better flood preparedness this time, there’s no proper record on the list of storm water drain works taken up and their present status. BBMP’S CONTINGENCY PLAN Every year, BBMP prepares its monsoon contingency plan and identifies vulnerable points in the city. Interestingly, BBMP’s list of vulnerable points for 2009 and 2010 are the same. TOI found that a majority of the mobile numbers of officers listed are either switched off or out of reach. Some are even non-existent. Even the corporators of many wards are not sure how prepared their wards are for the monsoon. Says Sampath Raju, DJ Halli corporator: “I had asked them for a report on the work done in the area a month ago, but am yet to get the report. In between, we faced some flooding when it rained early this month. Now work is going on at places like Sugar Mandi and Srinivas Nagar.’’ FROM THE ZONES According to chief engineer B T Ramesh, BBMP West zone, the vulnerable points will remain the same every year. “Though we have identified the same areas this year also, the impact of rain will not be much, because desilting of all major drains was done much before the monsoon commenced. We have equipped the Prahari team to attend to the complaints,” said Ramesh. Some low-lying areas in Rajkumar ward in the vicinity of storm water drains are more flood-prone. “I doubt if even 100 mm of rain will have much impact in many of these vulnerable points. Just recently, we desilted the complete Koramangala valley,’’ claimed Anantaswamy, chief engineer, BBMP South zone. However, his main challenge in some areas is the dumping of garbage into drains. “At least 40% of the city’s daily garbage gets dumped in the open storm water drains. There can be no complete change without people’s participation,’’ he explains. THE FINAL WORD I am yet to go through the complete list of places identified on the list. However, the entire process needs a relook. We are working on some changes. It will be announced within the next two or three days. — S K Nataraj | MAYOR, WHEN ASKED ABOUT FLOOD CONTINGENCY PLAN We are better prepared this time for the rain. However, the contingency plan for 2010 has to be updated with some recent developments. The revised plan should be out soon. — Bharat Lal Meena | BBMP COMMISSIONERBBMP’s monsoon plan a damp squibSAME OLD FLOOD SPOTS IDENTIFIED; PALIKE CLAIMS DRAINS ARE DESILTEDAarthi R and Sunitha Rao R | TNN

Bangalore: The monsoon set in over 20 days ago, but the BBMP is still revising its monsoon contingency plan for 2010. The updated report is expected to be out next week. In August 2008, residents of Sai Gardens Apartment near Seegehalli limits had to hire boats to move around in their area, and even vacate their homes when it rained heavily. This year too,they have their fingers crossed. Each time it starts raining, they are on alert, located as they are in the tank-bed region of Elemallapa lake in Avalahalli. In fact, the building is perched on the banks of a nullah that leads to Varthur Kodi. The nullah is getting narrower, but no action has been taken by the Seegehalli village panchayat or the BBMP. FLASH FLOOD POINTS In the city, some areas are perennial flood points, like Ejipura and Puttenahalli. They may have seen some change, but nothing has changed in many other vulnerable points within the BBMP’s limits — like Shivajinagar beef market area or the huge open storm water drain at HAL II Stage. Even as BBMP officials at all levels assure a 50% better flood preparedness this time, there’s no proper record on the list of storm water drain works taken up and their present status. BBMP’S CONTINGENCY PLAN Every year, BBMP prepares its monsoon contingency plan and identifies vulnerable points in the city. Interestingly, BBMP’s list of vulnerable points for 2009 and 2010 are the same. TOI found that a majority of the mobile numbers of officers listed are either switched off or out of reach. Some are even non-existent. Even the corporators of many wards are not sure how prepared their wards are for the monsoon. Says Sampath Raju, DJ Halli corporator: “I had asked them for a report on the work done in the area a month ago, but am yet to get the report. In between, we faced some flooding when it rained early this month. Now work is going on at places like Sugar Mandi and Srinivas Nagar.’’ FROM THE ZONES According to chief engineer B T Ramesh, BBMP West zone, the vulnerable points will remain the same every year. “Though we have identified the same areas this year also, the impact of rain will not be much, because desilting of all major drains was done much before the monsoon commenced. We have equipped the Prahari team to attend to the complaints,” said Ramesh. Some low-lying areas in Rajkumar ward in the vicinity of storm water drains are more flood-prone. “I doubt if even 100 mm of rain will have much impact in many of these vulnerable points. Just recently, we desilted the complete Koramangala valley,’’ claimed Anantaswamy, chief engineer, BBMP South zone. However, his main challenge in some areas is the dumping of garbage into drains. “At least 40% of the city’s daily garbage gets dumped in the open storm water drains. There can be no complete change without people’s participation,’’ he explains. THE FINAL WORD I am yet to go through the complete list of places identified on the list. However, the entire process needs a relook. We are working on some changes. It will be announced within the next two or three days. — S K Nataraj | MAYOR, WHEN ASKED ABOUT FLOOD CONTINGENCY PLAN We are better prepared this time for the rain. However, the contingency plan for 2010 has to be updated with some recent developments. The revised plan should be out soon. — Bharat Lal Meena | BBMP COMMISSIONER

Friday, June 25, 2010

Help us save trees’

Help us save trees’

Express News Service First Published : 24 Jun 2010 10:51:26 AM ISTBANGALORE: The state government, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and other urban development departments have decided to widen more than 240 roads in the city. Saddened by this, many environmental forums met A Ravindra, Advisor to the Chief Minister on Urban Affairs on Wednesday.Environmental forums such as Bangalore Environmental Trust, Swabhimana, Praja and several other members of National Institute of Advanced Studies met Ravindra to suggest alternatives to avoid felling trees and demolishing properties for road widening projects.An environmentalist who attended the meet said, "The advisor has said he will help facilitate a meeting of various environmental forums with the Mayor and the councillors, to ensure the involvement of more people in taking a decision. Some of the environmentalists also held presentations to reason that the road widening was not essential in all the proposed roads.Vinay from Hasiur Usisru, an environmental group that was not part of the meeting said it is the BBMP council that should hold such meetings and not the advisor. He also said that more than any other person or group, it was necessary for the people affected by these projects to attend the meeting. However, Ashwin Mahesh from Ravindra's office said, "The meeting was not convened by Ravindra, but he was requested to meet with these forums. There is nothing wrong in people meeting him to discuss issues."

‘12 more acres of UAS land required to complete road’

‘12 more acres of UAS land required to complete road’Bangalore, June 23, DHNS

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has submitted to the High Court that it requires an additional 12 acres of land in University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS) campus to complete the road connecting Yeshwanthapur to Yelahanka.

Submitting the status report on the link road, the BBMP has stated that the road has been completed up to Canara Bank Layout by utilising 24 acres of land in the campus. But it required an additional 12 acres to connect National Highway number 7 from Canara Bank Layout via GKVK and L&T gate.

Original plan

As per the original plan, the varsity authority had agreed to hand over 12 acres to BBMP to build the road as per the original CDP plan. BBMP has completed the road from Chikkabettahalli, Vidhyaranyapura, Thindlu and Canara Bank Layout.

“The road is opened for public use,” the Palike informed the court.

K N Puttegowda, Counsel for the BBMP said: "After the University objected to the link road passing through the middle of the campus, the BBMP has constructed the road along the edge of the campus. Due to this zig-zag formation of the road we need more land to complete the same,” he argued.

“If the road had divided the campus in the middle there was no need of additional land," he added.

Will affect biodivesity

Earlier, Dr P K Shetty, Professor and Dean of National Institute of Advanced Studies, in his report submitted to the Court on April 12, 2010, had stated that the formation of the link road would affect the biodiversity in the long term.

Former vice-chancellors of the UAS had filed a public interest litigation challenging the formation of the link road in the middle of the campus.

NICE launches Peacock bridge

The Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Limited (NICE) on Thursday inaugurated a bridge and four ramps on the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC), near Hoskerehalli on Mysore Road.

The new bridge named ‘Peacok Bridge’ holds huge monolithic structures of one peacock and four bulls (Nandi). Each bull weighs about eight tonnes.

Stating that building the bridge was his dream, NICE Managing Director Ashok Kheny said: “All litigations surrounding the land in this area have been resolved and we could formally complete the construction of the bridge and ramps.”

“We have cleared tonnes of garbage at this place before building the bridge, an act which was welcomed by people residing in the nearby localities,” he added. Kheny said his scheduled meeting with the chief minister, on Thursday afternoon, to discuss the progress of the BMIC project and preparation of a joint status report on the same was cancelled.

However, he refused to say when the next meeting was scheduled. Similarly, he also declined to comment on the letter written by the former PWD Principal Secretary R B Agawane, alleging NICE of securing 554 acres of excess land for the project’s peripheral road. When questioned about a similar project proposed from Bidar to Bangalore, Kheny said: “We have made a formal proposal to the government and wanted it to be included as part of the Global Investors’ Meet. But the government could not act on it, as it has been decided that PPP models would be implemented on the Swiss Challenge method and amendments to accommodate the same was awaiting the Cabinet’s nod.”

He added that once the project gets approval the travel time from Bidar to Bangalore will be reduced to six hours, as opposed to the present 14-16 hours.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Soon, enjoy Internet, TV on the road to airport

Soon, enjoy Internet, TV on the road to airport

In bmtc's pilot project, Buses to BIAL will have an LCD screen behind each seat

Srikanth Hunasavadi. Bangalore

Here's good news for the techno-savvy air travellers who take the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) Volvo buses to the airport. As a pilot project that starts next month, the BMTC will introduce buses with LCD screen fixed behind each seat for passengers to either check the Internet or browse through television channels. The corporation will introduce one such bus in each route to the Bangalore International Airport."We will introduce this facility in one BIA bus in each route within a week. Depending on the response, we will later extend it to all the Volvo buses going to BIA. The buses will be fitted with global positioning systems (GPS) and will have Internet and television facilities. In fact, this service is being provided by a private advertising agency and the BMTC is not spending anything on this project," transport minister R Ashoka said on Tuesday. He said that passengers would not be charged extra for these services, and the same ticket fares would prevail. Apart from Internet facilities, passengers would also be able to obtain flight departure and arrival information, book tickets, and also obtain boarding passes, the minister said.The BMTC was also planning to introduce 40 buses from the Bangalore City, Yeshwantpur and Cantonment railway stations to various parts of the city to encourage mass transportation. Regular bus services from the three stations would be introduced within a week. "We have discussed this proposal with the railway officials and we will be signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard with them soon. This will drastically reduce the problem of haggling and fleecing that passengers face with autorickshaws," Ashoka said.He said buses from the three stations to various points in the city would initially run from 5 am to 10 pm, and the service timings and frequency would gradually be increased. "We will also introduce three mini-buses that will shuttle passengers for free between the City railway station and Kempe Gowda bus terminus. We realised the effectiveness of this service when it was introduced on a temporary basis during the autorickshaw strike in the city. Hence, we decided to implement it on a permanent basis. These buses are already plying, but the service will be officially inaugurated within a week," Ashoka said

People have a duty to protect common wealth

People have a duty to protect common wealth

Dr MS Shivaprasad

People who use parks should maintain them well. A good example of private-public partnership in maintenance of such facilities is the RMV park. Parks and water bodies are precious community wealth and their value is infinite in this growing urban jungle.Unless people are made stakeholders of common wealth like parks and ponds, these common wealth will not be sustained. I believe all such property must be placed under joint responsibility where the BBMP will administer and residents' associations will run them. People take ownership of things they build themselves. In the same way, parks should be the responsibility of the community around. The RMV IInd Stage park in my ward, Aramane, is a perfect example of this partnership. And it shows results. The park is spick and span. Each blade of grass is protected and nurtured with care. The local residents' welfare association has been doing a work worth emulating. This is an attitude that needs to be followed in all areas. Residents need to see facilities like parks as their own. Unless that happens, there will be no accountability. The authorities require help from residents. Residents as users of such facilities are the best source to see that a park is not misused by any party. Their help lightens the burden of the Palike to a large extent.My ward has in all 10 parks and the three in RMV — a beautiful rock garden, a children's park and the main park— are under public-private partnership. It is team work at play. We are constantly engaged in a dialogue to understand how we can bring more amenities for the park visitors. The area has its own waste segregation unit. It is being run with the help of the BBMP. Officials and the public jointly hold sessions to educate new tenants on waste segregation. I do agree that small gardens in each area should be developed and dedicated for the convenience of senior citizens. Both children and seniors need special care and they ought to be provided for. — The writer is chief orthopedic surgeon of MS Ramaiah Medical College and corporator of Aramane ward

Visit this quiet oasis to relax

Visit this quiet oasis to relax

Aramane Nagar residents' role in maintaining park yields good results

Vaishalli Chandra

Far from the city's maddening crowd is the serene and verdant RMV II Stage Park in Aramane Nagar ward. The layouts around this lung space give a visitor Chandigarh-like feel with their large houses, wide roads and segregated garbage kept neatly in bins outside homes. The park, popularly known as 'rectangle park', has about 3000 trees which allow enough sunlight to keep the place warm. Creepers running around their trunk add to the beauty. "Creepers are grown on them only to enhance the park's visual appeal," says Dr Jagadeesh N Belur, president of the local residents' welfare association which is maintaining the park.The trees act like a green shied shutting off the noise emerging from the mounting traffic outside. In fact, park visitors can sit comfortably on the clean benches listening to the symphony of the birds until 10am.Besides birds, this two-acre oasis draws many joggers and yoga freaks in the mornings. The park has an area marked for yoga classes.But what makes the park unique is the recharge well and the two pits that turn leaf litter into compost. The low-lying park lets the storm water to collect in the shoulder drains that prevent filth from getting inside. The water is then channelled into the 25-ft deep recharge well. Since the surroundings are litter-free, the drains don't get clogged, says Dr Belur.For the comfort of visitors, cement benches have been erected on a tiled and elevated area. "A couple of years back, some people came here to re-do the lawn. But we approached the officials concerned to make a few alterations," says he.The benches are a result of that. Instead of re-doing the lawn at a cost of Rs 6.75 lakh, the association decided to retain the grass and with the allotted funds, it set up cement benches for visitors. The holistic approach of the association reflects at every level, "Our garbage segregation programme called SHOW (scientific handling of waste), that is run by the women of the area, ensures segregation of wet and dry waste. Only 10% goes to the landfills. The rest is used for composting," says Dr Belur. In fact, the two pits in the park serve as ideal spots to create leaf mulch that, in turn, is used to nurture the plants and trees. These are used by residents too. BBMP has provided the association with buckets for segregation of waste. The locality has about 350 houses and the Palike have distributed pamphlets mentioning control room numbers for the benefit of residents. With no clear legislations or rules governing waste management, the association along with the BBMP has taken up on themselves to give Palike only 10% of waste generated. The rest is cleared at the source. "BBMP just built the park. Its maintenance is being done by the residents who take pride in its upkeep," says Dr Shivprasad, corporator of Aramane Nagar."The park is an ideal example of partnership between residents and corporation officials. Citizens' monitoring and involvement has brought splendid results," he says.A manager is maintaining the park with the help of three gardeners, adds Dr Belur. The park is equipped with a lawn mower and a road sweeper that clears away all the leaves thereby making the job easier for the gardeners. The maintenance staffers are provided with a toilet and office space so that they can rest there while taking a break. The office space has a map showing all the plots. The residents who live in the vicinity are like a close-knit family with everyone pitching in to make it a better place. "For the benefit of senior citizens, there are plans to keep stretchers ready in case of emergency," says Dr Belur. c_vaishalli@dnaindia.net In nature's lap: Park visitors can sit comfortably on the benches in RMV II Stage Park listening to the symphony of the birds until 10am

Money for memorial can be put to better use

Money for memorial can be put to better use

Though state govt projections assert only 29 trees would be cut, it's quite clear that the damage would be much worse

Dr Sudhir Pai

We, the people residing around the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park, are as patriotic as anybody else, and we have great regard for the men and women in uniform. We are not opposed to the National Military Memorial built in salutation to those brave soldiers who have laid down their lives for the sake of our nation. But we strongly object to the construction of any building inside this park, as it violates the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975.As per the project plan, the War Memorial will not just have one structure. It will also include a museum dedicated to the armed forces, in addition to an underground structure — Motivation Hall. What is the point of having an underground motivation hall, intended to inspire more youth to join the armed forces? Instead, they could display the memorabilia at the Metro station on MG Road, for instance, where all passers-by could see it.The Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, covers all public parks in Karnataka and, more particularly, in Bangalore. After learning about the details of this project, we filed a public interest litigation (PIL), based on this Act, asking the (Karnataka) high court to disallow the construction of any permanent structure in this public park.Unfortunately, the high court's verdict given on June 4, made no mention of this Act, nor the planned underground structure, which could cause more damage to the park.And since these two considerations were omitted in the verdict, I — with support from many morning walkers who frequent the park — filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) (in the Supreme Court). With the SLP, I intend to plead for status quo. And I have faith that the apex court will do justice.If this Act is violated/bypassed, then, in future, any park — be it Lalbagh, Cubbon Park or any other neighbourhood park — could be taken over on the pretext of an emotional issue such as this. And, as a result, we might end up losing the few green spaces the city is left with. Therefore, I request all Residents' Welfare Associations (RWAs) to support this call — to protect green cover in their vicinity.Nevertheless, if the state government wants, it can amend the said Act and acquire the park and build any number of memorials. But, definitely not under the current terms of this Act.Moreover, though government projections assert that only 29 trees would be cut, anybody who visits the park right now can tell you that the damage will be far worse. For instance, after finding a pipeline, they have dug up a larger area, and in the process, damaged many roots. Since they can't shift the pipeline, which apparently runs to the Raj Bhavan, reports indicate that they have altered the plan altogether. They seem to be moving the construction towards Millers Road.How can the government or a Member of Parliament create a situation in their favour, spending tax payers' money? I would like to ask them to submit a detailed structural plan to the public. I wish the government had sought public opinion before giving the project the go-ahead.The cost of the project itself is pegged at Rs12 crore. In addition to that, the government has agreed to pay Rs3 crore annually for maintenance. If they truly wanted to honour the martyrs, the same amount could have been used for the betterment of their families. This is a mere token gesture, don't you think?The author is a neurosurgeon and honorary secretary, Krishna Apartment Owners' WelfareAssociation

War over memorial goes to SC

The Krishna Apartment Owners' Welfare Association, having failed to get a favourable verdict in the high court, on Monday filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court, challenging the construction of the proposed martyrs' memorial inside the Indira Gandhi Memorial Park in the heart of Bangalore. The association contended that the construction work would go against the provisions of the Karnataka Park Preservation Act, 1975.The SC is currently on vacation, but the appeal will be heard on Monday, June 28. The SC reopens on July 5, and then the SLP will be heard as per regular court proceedings. Dr Sudhir Pai, a prominent member of the association that has been fighting the case in court, said there is hope of a positive verdict in the Supreme Court, considering that certain points in the Karnataka Park Preservation Act, 1975, were omitted in the HC judgment."Now it all depends on how our lawyer, Bharat Sangal, plays it out in the court," Pai said, adding, "We are law-abiding citizens. If nothing comes of this, we can't take the matter to the streets can we? We'll have to let it be." Pai said that an amendment to the Act can be made, after which there would be no objection to building any number of memorials. "The June 4 high court judgment does not mention the violation of the said Act, nor does it mention the damage an underground structure can cause," said Pai.It may be recalled that a division bench of the HC, comprising justice Manjula Chellur and justice Mohan Shantana Goudar, on June 4, dismissed the petition filed in a PIL by the association.The HC stated that the proposed memorial was a matter of pride for the city and could well be an inspiration to youngsters to join the defence forces. It also said that the war memorial work would in no way hinder the serenity of the park; the site was chosen with care, to avoid any disruption of the historical significance of the park, the high court ruling had said.With the HC nod, work on the memorial has been occurring in full swing. Three-meter-deep pits have been dug, and cranes and lorries are being worked, the construction noise drowning out the chirping of birds. Pai, however, said the fight is to set right bad precedents.

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What do you call a congenial, captivating, cosmopolitan confluence of software and shopping malls, electronics and environment friendliness, salubrious climate and
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Opening lines of Business Today's survey on India's best cities for business, December 1998. Does Bangalore resemble any of this today?

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This blog primarily aggregates news content related to Bangalore from multiple public sources apart from sporadic original writing. The sources of such aggregated content are duly credited. All copyright rests with their original authors and owners and the blog makes no claim to the same.